Community Development in Area C: Challenges and Opportunities In partnership with -2016] Area C Report Table of Contents Acronyms............................................. A 5.0 The Role of the International Community...................................27 Summary.............................................. B 5.1 Financial.........................................27 5.2 Political...........................................27 1.0 Background.....................................1 5.3 Technical........................................28 1.1 Area C: Occupied Territory .............1 1.2 Restricted Development...................1 6.0 Progress and Impact......................31 1.3 Territorial Domination.....................3 6.1 Building Trust in Planning.............31 1.4 Israeli Civil Administration 6.2 Community Training and (ICA) Planning Policy..................... 3 Awareness......................................31 1.5 Palestinian Authority Policy.............4 6.3 De Facto Implementation..............31 1.6 Socio-Economic Impact..................5 6.4 Socio-Economic Development......32 1.7 Life in Area C..................................7 6.5 Advancing Palestinian Planning Rights.............................33 2.0 IPCC Area C Community 6.6 Freezing Demolitions.....................33 Planning Initiative...........................9 6.7 Strategic Planning (Macro)............34 2.1 Community Planning in Area C......9 6.8 Action Plans for 2.2 Statutory Planning: Developing Implementation (Micro)................ 34 Outline Plans for Area C.............. 10 2.3 Community Focus: Training and 7.0 Next Steps......................................39 Awareness......................................12 2.4 Awareness Campaign.....................13 8.0 Case Studies..................................44 2.5 Supplementary Planning 8.1 Imneizel..........................................43 (Guidance Planning)......................13 8.2 Tarqumiya.......................................53 2.5.1 Action Plans...............................14 8.3 Masafer Yatta..................................59 2.5.2 Design Schemes..........................14 8.4 North West Jerusalem Regional 2.5.3 Sub-Regional Guiding Plans Plan............................................... 68 (Macro Scale)...............................14 8.5 Herodion Cluster Plan...................70 3.0 Statutory Planning Appendices..........................................73 Methodology.................................17 3.1 Locality Selection Criteria.............20 4.0 Israeli Restrictions and Delays.... 23 4.1 Process............................................23 4.2 The Project Journey.........................24 Acronyms ACF Action Contre la Faim (Action Against Hunger) CPC Central Planning Commity EC European Commission FES Friedrich Ebert Stiftung GDP Gross Domestic Product ICA Israeli Civil Administration IDF Israeli Defence Force IPCC International Peace and Cooperation Center ISOCARP International Society of City and Regional Planners MDLF Palestinian Municipal Development and Lending Fund MoCA Palestinian Ministry of Civil Affairs MoD Israeli Ministry of Defence MoLG Palestinian Ministry of Local Government NIS New Israeli Shekel (currency) NRC Norwegian Refugee Council NWJ North-West Jerusalem OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights OQR Office for the Quartet Representative PA Palestinian Authority UNDP United Nations Development Programme UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements Programme UPAT ISOCARP’s Urban Planning Advisory Team USAID United States Agency for International Development A Summary Area C is the territory within the West applications, with only 44 out of 2000 Bank over which Israel maintains security permit applications granted by the ICA in and administrative control as part of its Area C between 2009-2013. Unauthorized occupation of the Palestinian Territories, structures are routinely demolished; the as defined in the Oslo Accords. Area C ICA has demolished 2,802 structures in constitutes over 60% of the West Bank Area C since 1988, of a total of 14,087 and contains the majority of its fertile demolition orders issued.1 In some cases, land and natural resources. Approximately entire communities remain unrecognised 300,000 Palestinians live there, distributed by the ICA and are threatened with dis- throughout over 500 rural localities and placement. peripheries of urban centres. Israeli planning policy in Area C has Development and utilisation of land in been disastrous for both the livelihoods Area C is controlled by the Israeli Civil Ad- of the Palestinian inhabitants and for the ministration (ICA), part of the Coordinator prosperity of the wider Palestinian econ- of Government Activities in the Territories, omy. The restrictions on construction and a unit of the Israeli Ministry of Defence. access to land created a cycle of poverty Under the ICA’s planning regulations, Pal- and food insecurity for the inhabitants estinian development in Area C has been of Area C. At the national level, the in- severely restricted and the vast majority of ability to effectively utilise Area C’s land lands have been used for the expansion of and resources has undermined the entire Israeli settlements, agriculture, industry and Palestinian economy and so the ability to military training zones. function as an independent state. This is Palestinian construction has been compounded by the continued expansion restricted through the systematic denial of Israeli Settlements, where the popula- of building permits and the demolition tion now exceeds 556,000.2 of unauthorized structures. On average In 2009, the International Peace and the ICA denies over 95% of permission Cooperation Center (IPCC), with the sup- 1 http://data.ochaopt.org/demolitions/index.aspx?id=311648 2 OCHA – Humanitarian Atlas 2015 B port of the UK Government, launched the areas. However, the endorsement of local Area C Community Planning Initiative councils and the PA has afforded them with the aim of introducing basic planning enough legitimacy to stimulate positive rights for Palestinians and challenging the change on the ground regardless of ICA block on to spatial development imposed approval. Local communities and develop- by the Israeli government. Almost five mental agencies alike have started imple- years on, the project has made significant menting new housing, public services and progress towards this aim. infrastructure. The EU has implemented IPCC prepared outline plans for 73 developmental projects in 8 localities, communities, covering an estimated pop- following a de facto approach instead of ulation of over 45,000. The plans guide waiting for ICA approval. land use zoning and allocate sufficient This planningprogramme has provided development areas at realistic densities Palestinian communities in Area C with to meet the communities’ needs, while the technical support to develop valid protecting significant cultural and envi- spatial zoning plans. The acceptance and ronmental sites. An array of other strategic recognition of these plans by the local and spatial plans have also been developed councils, the PA, the international com- that rationalise land use at the regional munity and even the Israeli courts has se- level and detail infrastructure development cured trust in planning and opened a new at the street level. way to invest in and develop communities At all stages the plans are developed in Area C. alongside the community and IPCC has Finally five case studies for planning in gone to great lengths to ensure the com- Area C have been mentioned, to cover all munities are fully engaged in the process. the planning categories and to show the To this end, IPCC has implemented stages that each one of them has passed; training and workshops for elected com- these case studies are: munity representatives from local councils, Imneizel, Tarqumiya, Masafer Yatta, village councils, joint services councils and the North West Jerusalem Regional Plan, municipalities. The ability of local officials and Herodian Cluster Plan. to understand and utilise the plans has This report documents the work done been integral to their implementation and by IPCC over the seven years, detailing ensuring their sustainability. the transition of planning from a tool used With the endorsement of the Pales- to stop demolition orders to a system that tinian Authority (PA) and the support of empowers communities. the international community, the ICA has been pressured to recognise the plans and freeze the demolition orders within their boundaries. To date, 49 plans have been submitted by the local councils to the ICA for authorisation. The ICA have forced the plans’ boundaries to be reduced and demanded extensive additional detailing, beyond what is required in Israel. Despite this, three plans have now received fully authorisation from the ICA, granting the communities developmental rights with permanent security against demolitions. It is likely that a number of plans will never be approved by the ICA as a result of their location in politically sensitive Susiya, 2016 C D Um el-Khier, 2013 10 1.0 Background 1.1 Area C: Occupied Territory Area C has a built up area of 297,986 dunums and a population approximately of Palestine was divided into two parts: West 300,000 Palestinians. It includes around 532 Bank and Gaza. However, the 1995 Oslo residential areas, most of which don’t have II Agreement led to the sub-division of